US ouster sought

London: Two Russian politicians have written an open letter to Fifa, demanding that the USA be thrown out of the World Cup as the war of words between the two nations over Crimea spreads to football.

On Tuesday, Duma members Alexander Sidyakin and Michael Markelov posted the letter to Sepp Blatter demanding the US Soccer Federation be removed as a member of Fifa and the Brazil World Cup.

The request mirrors a similar political gesture made by US senators Dan Coates and Mark Kirk last week, in which the American pair petitioned Fifa to ban Russia from taking part in this summer’s competition over the ‘invasion’ of Crimea.

The letter from the Russians highlights “The US’s military aggression against several sovereign states” and “numerous cases of human rights violation all over the world revealed by E Snowden.”